Do You Drop Zone?

Naomi tried out the Drop Zone at Great America recently with her cousin Kimberly.  Actually, they went on the ride (I guess it's a ride) twice. Here's one of the drops.
 

Spring Break - Animals!

An afternoon visit to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco included neon colored animals, some good food and a visit to the Morrison Planetarium. Here's a video recap:

Mission San Francisco de Solano

In California, one of the subjects covered in fourth grade is the history of California missions. These missions were significant in the early history of what is now California. The establishment of these missions led to missionaries being sent to California by the Spanish government and forever changing the state's history.

The teaching of this part of California's history in schools has not been without controversy. Critics have pointed out that in instances the teaching has been sanitized of some of the less palatable elements of the relationship between these new Americans and the Native Americans. Missionaries converting the natives to Catholicism using techniques viewed by as being overly coercive. Natives attacking missions and then suffering for such actions.

General Mariano Vallejo was responsible for establishing Mission San Francisco de Solano in what is now Sonoma, California. Later in life, Vallejo played a key role in the conversion of California from a Mexican district to a State, including naming of the counties in California.

It turns out that Mission San Francisco de Solano would be the last of the 21 missions established in California. It was also the only mission that was established after Mexico's independence from Spain. It was the last mission established because of the secularization of the missions.

Ethan along with the other fourth graders visited Mission San Francisco de Solano. The field trip included sketching the mission, a visit to the barracks, a visit of the mission, lunch in the town square, and a short walk to Vallejo's home. The interesting aspect of the field trip was that Ethan's class only saw one of the other two classes just once until the end of the field trip when it was time to re-board the buses.

The songs in the slide show below are "El Album" by Aterciopelados (a folk band from Columbia) and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day. Enjoy!

"Rock" and Roll?

We took the kids to the Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Show this weekend. It started because a Boy Scout troop was using the event as an opportunity to help Webelo scouts earn their geology pin; and Ethan wanted to earn his pin. This led to Ryana and Naomi joining too because all scouts in uniforms got free admission.

Ethan and Naomi had a general understanding of what we were going to see. The kids hurriedly got into their uniforms as we readied to leave. But I wasn't sure if Ryan understood what we were going to do. So I asked him, "Do you know what we're going to see at the Gem and Rock show?"

After a brief pause, Ryan said, "I think we're going to a gym and we're going to see a rock show...you know, a rock and roll show with music."

Sky High Sports

There's a new game in town. Actually, it's a trampoline-based gym. The concept apparently was hatched by two brothers from the Bay Area. Now there are several outlets including the one near our home. There are also gyms in Tigard, OR and Bellevue, WA amongst other places.

Some of the kids from our swim meet had an outing with coaches recently. Instead of trying to describe the place, check out the video below. Naomi, Ethan and Ryan all were able to attend. Follow the bouncing Ry.



Here's a picture of some of the kids with the coaches.

A Day at the Beach ... Sort of

We spent a day visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium during this spring break. One new exhibit was on pink flamingos. The river otters have been replaced by sea turtles. Got good pictures of Ryan up close and personal with the turtles.

Another new one was about the retreating ice and advancing water in the north in places like Alaska. The video focused on Shishmaref, Alaska.

Other sightings include sea horses, spotted jelly fish, sea otters, sharks (no great whites though}, a shy sunfish, penguins, giant tunas, and skates.

Most of the final pictures of the ocean in the slide show below were taken by the kids while we ate dinner at the Paradiso Trattoria on the Monterey water front. If you're looking for a bargain, be sure to ask for the three-course meal menu.

Uncle Mike's Visit

California Academy of Sciences

We got a chance to go check out the remodeled California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco that reopened on September 27, 2008. We were able to visit the weekend of October 3 when Obaachan visited.



The message that this is a "green" building is everywhere. Not to nitpick, but we found one way that they could become even greener (get rid of the requirement for kids under 6 who are free to enter to purchase a paper ticket - something about needing this to keep track of the number of visitors). There were a couple of items from the old building: the Pendulum and the seahorse railings. We missed the over-sized Gary Larson "The Far Side" cartoons.

At the end of the day, we asked the kids if they preferred the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Two of the three said that they did prefer the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Maybe it was the fact that we stayed at a hotel on the beach the last time we went to the Aquarium.

Ethan's First Camp Out

Ethan got his first taste of camping with his Boy Scout pack over the weekend. It was just an overnight camp out at one of the several campgrounds (three family campgrounds and five group campsites) located at nearby Mt. Diablo State Park.

We stayed at the Wildcat Campsite, a nice tree covered site with very little parking and very little level ground. The very little parking meant that people had to carpool. The very little level ground meant that we didn't wake up in the same spot in the tent where we went to sleep. Ethan went to sleep in the middle of the tent next to me, but woke up in a ball in one of the downhill corners of the tent. The tree covering was a plus though that allowed us to wake up to some people wearing sweatshirts to keep warm even after the sun had arisen. This was in sharp contrast to the valley below that looked like a sea of warmly-glowing golden yellow hills. Even at 7:00am, the hills below already looked blazing.

The boys were kept busy. They had day time activities aimed at allowing them earn belt loops and badges. The older boys helped with dinner. Our den was in charge of the games. Although there wasn't a campfire, there was a fire pit that the boys used to roast marshmallows and make smores. After dinner, the dens got to entertain with skits and singing. The scouts got an astronomy lesson, got a chance to make popcorn making, and take in an evening hike.

The next morning there were some that were up at the first crack of daylight, which was probably a little after 5:00am. Most of the campground was up by 7:00am. A flag ceremony was held at about 8:00am, right around breakfast time. This was followed by a short drive to Rock City for a hike to Sentinel Rock (need to be careful here as there is poison ivy everywhere).

After most of the group had packed up, one of the dads who is an expert tree person helped a couple of the scouts get a chance to go tree climbing in a harness. This same dad is the one hooked up a tree hammock and a tree swing that were both hits with the scouts.

Ethan is ready to go on his next camp out!

The End of Another School Year

The end of the school year comes with a flurry of field trips and end of year activities. For us, the activities have included a visit to the Smith Family Farm, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Los Vaqueros Dam and Reservoir, the 3rd graders' flute performance, the 1st graders' "How Does Your Garden Grow" musical, a preschool musical parade, the Boy Scouts bridging ceremony for Tiger Cubs to Wolf Cubs, and the Girl Scouts bridging ceremony for Brownies to Junior Cadets just to name a few. Now bring on summer!

Summer's Here...Sort of!

We spent one day of the recent three-day weekend at a Six Flags amusement park in nearby Vallejo. Although it was not a scorching day, the water rides were still quite popular. You can't see her, but Naomi and some friends are on the boat in the video below. Yes, there were more than a few people who got soaked.

Santa Claus at Six Flags

We went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to see Santa Claus. The kids were not disappointed although it was a bit chilly. The hot chocolate came in handy.

We had a first time experience: being one of the first in line to see Santa Claus. We expected a much larger crowd to see Santa, but were surprised to see only one person in line. Maybe it was this lack of a crowd that lowered our expectations, but in the end our visit with Santa was much better than expected. We even got to see Mrs. Claus.

Roaster Coasters and Other Fun for Kids

We had a weekend with enough kid-friendly activities to last a whole year. This was due to a visit by our niece Lianne. I think we adults were just along for the ride.

In reality, we probably could've spent the entire weekend in our house and the kids would've been able to create enough activities on their own. There were times when our house did resemble one of those amusement parks that we visited.

Our first stop was Pixieland, which we blogged about in an earlier posting: Moshi Moshi Kame-yo!: Pixieland - A Hidden Gem

Another stop was Children's Fairyland in Oakland. This was courtesy of our friend Celia who had given to Naomi passes as a birthday gift last year. Celia and her husband Joe even joined us for this excursion that had Celia remembering back to her childhood memories of Children's Fairyland (see her comments to our Pixieland post above).

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum was another hit for the kids. Seeing local wild animals up close at this museum is always an adventure for the kids.

The kids also got a chance to burn off some energy at Matteo's Playground, an accessible playground in Concord. Much of the construction was conducted by local volunteers. It was a hot day so we didn't stay for a long time, just long enough for the kids to build up an appetite.

The weekend also had the 51st Annual Japanese Summer Festival at the Diablo Japanese American Cultural Center. We took in some great food (my mom: the food selection here is even better than at the Obon Festival in Seattle!), Bon Odori dancing, kids' games, and taiko drumming.




The one nearly daylong outing that we made was to Gilroy Gardens, touted as California's only horticultural theme park. It is an unusual theme park with rides and attractions built around a horticultural theme featuring what they refer to as circus trees. The park is definitely geared to a younger crowd. Buying tickets on-line will save you $12 on a regular adult ticket and $2 on a kid's ticket. Maybe it was because we visited on a Monday, but the parking lot was only about a third full and many of the rides did not have a wait.

On the way back home, we stopped for dinner at Tobie Tyler's. This is a Japanese restaurant in a Ramada Inn close to my work place. Dorothy's always wanted to check it out since she hears me talking about eating lunch there on a work day.

So what is this about roaster coasters? Well, that is what Ryan calls roller coasters. Ryan was even able to go on the one at Pixieland with me. As he told all of us, "you have to scream when you're on a roaster coaster."

He wanted to go on the ones at Gilroy Gardens but he was not tall enough. Maybe next year.

Naomi's 8th Birthday

Naomi has what's considered a good swim birthday. The cut-off for the swimming age groupings is June 15. This means that next year even though she will be 9 before the end of the season Naomi will still swim with the 7 and 8 year olds.

However, having a summer birthday when many families are setting off on their final vacation before school starts is no piece of cake. Further complicating matters for swimming families such as ours are the twice a week swim meets. This will be the second year in a row that Naomi's birthday party with friends will take place well into August.

This evening after a swimming team event at the swim club we bought pizza and a cake to have a small family celebration at home. Earlier in the day we went to the newly renamed Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. This was part of our birthday gift for Naomi along with the first two Harry Potter books. Yes, we're one of those families who had not yet been bitten by the HP bug.

We've been to Discovery Kingdom now on two consecutive weekends and have probably only seen about a third of the place. This is mainly because we've gotten late starts for both visits. The good thing is that it's only about 30 minutes away and we do have season passes so we'll likely be going back. They do have a new attraction featuring Thomas the Tank Engine. We (including Naomi) were slightly disappointed with Thomas Town. Maybe we were expecting too much, but it seemed to be geared to the under first grade crowd and was smaller than what we expected.

Weekday Evening in Golden Gate Park

Very seldom do we get a chance to spend time in Golden Gate Park on a weekday evening, but such was the case this past week when Dorothy attended a close friend's father's wake.

The first stop that we made was at Spreckles Lake as we entered the park on 25th Avenue from the Richmond District side. The evening was cool enough to warrant jackets. Ryan insisted on being pushed in his stroller. There was a flock of over 100 pigeons fussing over their evening meal. The kids could not resist the temptation to chase the pigeons who were more worried about not getting their share of the meal.

We came upon two groups of older men huddled for entertainment. "Look dominoes! They're playing chicken foot!"

It was dominoes, but not Chicken Foot, the variation of dominoes that our kids learned from the Portland Emotos. No, these men were playing for money. We didn't stay for too long. "Dad, let's go, I don't like the smoke."

So we continued our short walk around the lake, passing the same older couples that we had seen earlier who were walking counter-clockwise to our clockwise round trip. There was an occasional bicyclist, but mostly it was older couples, bundled, walking or resting on benches, speaking in Cantonese. Some would point to the kids and smile or wave, but I don't think the kids noticed.

The next stop was the buffalo paddock. We found the area with construction underway to install new fencing so the buffalo were all herded into a small area near the roadway. Ethan and Naomi were satisfied with seeing the large animals from the minivan, but Ryan wanted to get out so the two of us went out for a closer look. We counted seven buffaloes, a much lower number than what I expected. My recollection was a larger herd roaming the open field. There were some tourists who were also at the fence. They were speaking in German so I didn't know what they were saying, but I couldn't help wonder if they knew that what they were viewing was not the usual view of the buffalo.

We continued our journey down to Ocean Beach. I knew that Dorothy would be calling us soon so we didn't get out, but the kids were happy just to see the ocean and the waves rolling onto the beach.

We drove toward Geary Boulevard. The phone rang. It was Dorothy. The wake was over and she was ready to leave. Ryan reminded me that he wanted to see the shiny house. What he was referring to was the gold-domed Russian Orthodox church on Geary Boulevard. "Look, there it is!" exclaimed Ryan as we drove past the church.

Dorothy was in front of the mortuary chatting with old friends. We drove off trying to figure out where to eat dinner.

Bay Area Activity Destinations for Kids

The Bay Area has much to offer for kids (and for parents who are still kids at heart) interested in learning about the world in which we live.

Lindsay Wildlife Museum - [1931 1st Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA] Connect with wildlife and learn about the animals found in our backyards and open spaces. At Lindsay Wildlife Museum you can have close encounters with many live, non-releasable wild animals such as an eagle, hawk, fox, snake or mountain lion. An on-site wildlife hospital treats more than 6,000 native California animals every year. The museum also features changing art and natural history exhibits, classes for children and adults, and a discovery room with hands-on activities for children.

Our kids like the scavenger hunt where they have to search for animals in the museum ranging from mice to whales (okay, there's not a real whale).

Bay Area Discovery Museum - [557 McReynolds Road Sausalito, CA; in the Fort Baker area at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge] The nationally recognized Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor/outdoor children's museum that offers a full range of programs for children, parents, school groups and educators. Located on 7 and 1/2 acres in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at Fort Baker in Sausalito, CA, the Museum's unique programs feature hands-on art, science and environmental exhibitions, performances, special events and ongoing educational curricula... all with a focus on fun!

A favorite for our kids is the outdoor play area complete with a small fishing boat and a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose - [ 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA; has its own VTA light rail station for easy transit access] The striking 52,000 square foot purple building, designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta, signals the purpose of Children's Discovery Museum to serve the needs of children, families and schools as a center for learning and discovery.

A favorite activity for our kids is the waterworks exhibit.

Oakland Zoo - Nestled in the rolling hills of 525-acre Knowland Park, the Zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland off Highway 580, and is home to more than 440 native and exotic animals. The Oakland Zoo is a non-profit organization, managed by the East Bay Zoological Society. Founded in 1922 by Henry Snow, the Zoo has been located in its current Knowland Park location since 1936.

Located just outside the zoo is a small area with amusement park rides for kids - have to admit that this is a favorite for our kids.

Habitot Children's Museum - [ 2065 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, CA; in downtown Berkeley] Habitot Children's Museum was founded by parents and educators in 1992 to meet the unique needs and interests of infants, toddlers and preschoolers in a safe and appropriate community setting. Habitot opened its first facility in downtown Berkeley in 1998, after six years of community outreach and fundraising.

Lawrence Hall of Science - [Lawrence Hall of Science #5200, Berkeley, CA] Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) is a singular resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education, and a public science center with exciting hands-on experiences for learners of all ages.

One of our favorite features is the view of the Bay Area from its location above the UC-Berkeley campus.

Chabot Space & Science Center - [10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, CA] Chabot Space & Science Center (CSSC) is an innovative teaching and learning center focusing on astronomy and the space sciences and the interrelationships of all sciences. Its observatory, planetarium, exhibits, and natural park setting are a place where a diverse population of students, teachers, and the public can imagine, understand, and learn to shape their future through science.

A favorite for our kids is the museum of mirrors up on the second floor of the museum.

Tilden Regional Park - [Berkeley, CA] Tilden Park has several activities for children. These include: the Herschell Spillman merry-go-round, the Steam Train, the Golden Gate Live Steamers, the Pony Ride, the Little Farm and the Tilden Nature Area and Environmental Education Center.

Children's Fairyland - [Oakland, CA; adjecant to Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland] Created in 1950, Children’s Fairyland is a historic 10 acre outdoor park and educational facility in which children’s literature is "brought to life" through fairy tale exhibits, animals, and talking storybooks that children activate by turning a "Magic Key".

Their web site says "Adults are not admitted without children. Children are not admitted without adults."

Pixieland - [Concord, CA] See our previous post regarding Pixieland.

In a future post, we'll write about places we've visited outside the Bay Area.

Hey, Chuck!

The City of Santa Rosa completed a summer-long tribute to its favorite son, Charles "Sparky" Schultz. In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip, the designing of 55 unique statues of Charlie Brown was commissioned. One last viewing of all of the statues was possible with the assembling of all 55 statues in a field near the Schultz Museum. We couldn't resist taking our kids to this unique event. Here we are with the original Chuck.

Pixieland - A Hidden Gem

Disneyland proclaims itself to be "The Happiest Place on Earth." However, we have a place here that rivals Disneyland in the eyes of our kids. Ask the kids, "Disneyland or Pixieland?" And we're sure to hear, "Pixieland! Pixieland!" Of course, if you must know the details; they've never visited Disneyland and Pixieland is only a short drive from our home.

This weekend's visit marked a special moment for Naomi - her first roller coaster ride, ever! At most amusement parks, two or three circuits on a single ride is quite the deal. The Pixieland Dragon Coaster whips around four or maybe five times. But who's counting, expecially when you can barely see over the safety bar. The only memory is still that the ride was too short.